Join the Conversation

Three Pensacola developments proposed

Rob Johnson, pnj.com 8:52 a.m. CDT July 7, 2014

Three commercial developers are planning condominiums and shops for the downtown Pensacola area.

215 W. Garden Street for story about the purchase of this property and others in Pensacola. Former Escambia County School District Administrative Offices.(Photo: Bruce Graner/bgraner@pnj.com, Bruce Graner/bgraner@pnj.com)

Three developers are planning new commercial and residential projects in the downtown Pensacola area although two of them have expressed concerns about possible future flooding.

Whitesell-Green Inc. has offered the city of Pensacola $775,000 for the two-acre property in the historic Hawkshaw district at the corner of East Romana and 10th streets adjacent to the Gulf Power building with the intent of building 18 new homes.

That offer, in response to the city's recent public request for development proposals on the long vacant parcel, is well below its appraised value of $1.8 million.

"Frankly, I'm a little disappointed," said City Councilman Brian Spencer, who said he had hoped for a development proposal with more housing density that would produce more tax revenue.

Still, Spencer acknowledged that Whitesell-Green's offer was the only one the city received during the month in which the request for proposals was pending, which ended June 30.

Spencer could only wonder if the Whitesell-Green offer might have been higher before the April 29-30 flooding brought on by heavy rains. The Hawkshaw property flooded, as did Veterans Memorial Park on the south side of Romana Street.

Developer and Broker Robert Montgomery of Pensacola.(Photo: Katie King/kking@pnj.com)

Other sections of the nearby Aragon area flooded, too. Despite that, Robert Montgomery, a commercial developer who has focused on that neighborhood, said Thursday he's considering the construction of his seventh Wine World specialty food and spirits stores. Five of those establishments, including one on Palafox Street, have wine bars. But Montgomery said he and his partner, Chan Cox have sold their interest in the Palafox location.

Montgomery is among the downtown business figures who have been pressing city hall to form a stormwater task force aimed at building new infrastructure to control flooding. And in June, he expressed reservations to The News Journal about further development in the Aragon area until action is taken on controlling storm water.

On Thursday, Montgomery said he is "still waiting to see what develops on the drainage situation before we move forward. We are in the preliminary planning stage at this point."

However, he has a location in mind on Ninth Avenue between Romana and Aragon streets in a stretch "we have always called Privateer's Alley." Further, Montgomery said his goal is to open the Wine World in the spring of 2016.

Fred Hemmer, a St. Petersburg commercial developer, is planning condominums or rental apartments in downtown Pensacola.(Photo: Special to the News Journal)

Separately, St. Petersburg developer Fred Hemmer has purchased the former Vernon McDaniel building at 213 W. Garden St., with plans for with apartments or condominiums, accompanied by a mix of businesses.

The News Journal reported in June that Hemmer bought the property from the Escambia County School District for $3.25 million.

Hemmer's plans for the 4.8-acre property may include a partnership with the Pensacola law firms of Clark, Partington, Hart, Larry Bond & Stackhouse.

"It's a piece of property that may present some interesting prospects. There's a possibility we might become an owner of part of it, or a tenant," said Bruce Partington. His firm now leases about 24,000 square feet on the seventh and eighth floors of One Pensacola Plaza at 125 W. Romana St.

215 W. Garden Street for story about the purchase of this property and others in Pensacola. Former Escambia County School District Administrative Offices.(Photo: Bruce Graner/bgraner@pnj.com, Bruce Graner/bgraner@pnj.com)

The firm's lease expires in late 2015, Partington said, and its move might be to either the existing two-story former school administration building, or new construction elsewhere on the parcel. He added that if the law firm does invest with Hemmer, it might also become a landlord for either residential or commercial tenants.

Hemmer said one factor that steered him toward the Garden Street site is that its location hasn't shown vulnerability to downtown flooding, which he became well aware of this spring. "I have stayed at the Marriott Courtyard in Pensacola since January more than I have stayed in my own home" in the St. Petersburg area.

Hemmer has been here while overseeing the construction of Huntington Creek and shopping for downtown properties to develop.

"We decided the Garden and Spring streets area didn't have some of the same flooding issues as Palafox and Aragon," he said.